Glen Allen, Virginia (CNN) - In a further sign of Republicans' efforts to take back Virginia in November, Rep. Paul Ryan has spent more days in the commonwealth than any other battleground state since he became Mitt Romney's running mate.

Ryan held a rally in central Virginia near Richmond on Friday morning, and later in the day headed to an event in Northern Virginia, a part of the state that votes increasingly Democratic.– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

"Virginia is a very important state – you have heard it from everybody," Ryan said at his first event Friday to more than 2,000 people at Deep Run High School in Henrico County - a key battleground that went for Obama by only 679 votes in 2008.

After he told the crowd how much he enjoyed hunting and fishing in Virginia – "I've caught some big bass here" – he added, "This is a state that has it all, and this is a state that will determine it all and we have a clear choice."

In 2008 President Barack Obama became the first Democrat to take the commonwealth in a presidential election since 1964, winning by roughly six points. But the Romney campaign has reason to believe they could pick up Virginia's 13 electoral votes because the president's lead here has diminished.

According to a Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News survey released earlier this month, 49% of likely voters in Virginia say they support the president, with 45% saying they back Romney, the former Massachusetts governor. The president's four point advantage is within the survey's sampling error.

The race has tightened since March, when Obama led Romney 50%-42%, and the beginning of June, when Obama was ahead 47%-42%.

Romney announced the House Budget chairman from Wisconsin as his running mate last weekend in Virginia. After Ryan made his debut in front of the USS Wisconsin with Romney in Norfolk, the duo held rallies in Ashland and Manassas.

Ryan put the importance of winning the state in starker terms at a fund-raiser Thursday in Richmond with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

"Virginia has an enormous influence on this. And thank heavens our fate is in the hand in Virginians and not anybody else. And I want to thank you for that, for what you've done, and I want to thank you for what you're about to do because you're going to help save this country by bringing these electoral votes for Mitt Romney," Ryan said Thursday night.

The Richmond fund-raiser netted about $500,000 for the Romney-Ryan effort. The Republican vice presidential candidate will attend another fund-raiser in Arlington Friday evening.

Speaking to an overflow crowd of about 600 people in Glen Allen Friday, Romney's running made said he was relying on Virginians to get the GOP ticket into the White House.

"We're going to trust you our fellow citizens," Ryan said. "It's in your hands, it's in our hands, to get this thing right. And that's the good news. The good news is it's not too late. We can turn things around. We can get this on the right track. We can fix this mess…it's not too late."

He added, "Winston Churchill, probably my favorite Brit, he said the Americans can be counted on to do the right thing only after they've exhausted all the other possibilities. I think that's probably where we are, so let's get it right, let's do it."

soundoff(25 Responses)

You have cantor as a fine example of your worthless Gop who wouldn't even give his own state flood aid when they needed it without strings attached,Ryan and cantor and BACHMANN ,romney ,all gotta go in Nov !!!!!!where's your tax returns romney and Ann tax cheats ?????

Romney/Ryan ideals and policies of enriching the already super rich at the expense of the middle class and the poor who are struggling just to survive each day are not Christian. Listen to what the Lord said:

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”(Matthew 19:21-24).

You have to be stupid and brain dead to vote Gop with romney the tax cheat and Ryan the hot dog clowns car driver who wants to cut your mom and dads Medicare ,medicade and soc sec ,they lie a lot ,right to your face!!!!!

August 17, 2012 03:37 pm at 3:37 pm |

Expat American

Wealthy Beltway suburbs Virginia versus Rural Virginia.
Ironic that Ryan, who couldn’t be more of the former is fighting for the vote of the latter.

August 17, 2012 03:39 pm at 3:39 pm |

kakaraka

Isn't this guy denied he never claimed for stimulus money when in fact it turned out he did? Isn't this guy voted against a bill that would crack down a china currency manipulation but immorally criticizing the President of why he didn't crack down on china? Isn't this guy want to Privatize medicare and social security, cut medicare, food stamps, kids school foods, student pell grants, and give huge a massive tax break to millionares, billionaires? Isn't this guy voted repeatdely with George Bush to increase spending and the deficit but now crying fool for same thing he contributed to? Call this a fiscal conservatist? Give me a break. Ryan is another Washington politician. Not credible to talk about spending cut.

August 17, 2012 03:41 pm at 3:41 pm |

CanadaONE

Notice the crowd is all WHITE ____OUCH !!!

do you think there are any racists in the crowd??

is this is coming down to race bewteen multi culturalism and the KKK ???

Notice the focus on the "R" in the signs = RACISM – intentional ???

August 17, 2012 03:41 pm at 3:41 pm |

Independent Voter in VA

"Ryan said at his first event Friday to more than 2,000 people at Deep Run High School in Henrico County – a key battleground that went for Obama by only 679 votes in 2008..."

That is okay, the President...you don't need those 2000 people to cast votes for you....there are hundreds of thousand will vote for you in VA this election...and you will be re-elected to show the Americans and the world that "extremist" can not win this election...and tell those 1% of GOP that they can not buy the election...

August 17, 2012 03:42 pm at 3:42 pm |

WiredUptheBass S.F.

At least he doesn't think parts of Virginia is North Carolina.

August 17, 2012 03:43 pm at 3:43 pm |

bb

namej, Have u read the bill, Its simple 1. keep your medicare, 2, take a voucher ($15,000 ayear to buy ins), 3. keep the 15 k and save it for med expense, NO WHERE does it say no medicare. Please dont embarass yourself with ignorant snips for msnbc, People are living longer/ less people are working/ more democraps are on welfare/ do the math something has got to give. It is a step in the right direction. what is oblunders plan??? Ins 100 mil and have 30 mil pay for it, again do the math it wont work, u should of learned this basic stuff in grade school

August 17, 2012 03:49 pm at 3:49 pm |

MTATL67

Is it just me or is he avoiding Florida. Saw head line "Wisconsin now in play as toss up". Only Romney would think trading Florida for Wisconsin electoral votes is a good bargain.

August 17, 2012 03:57 pm at 3:57 pm |

Wire Palladin, S. F.

Right wingnuts want to see college records, as if they could actually understand them. I would rather see some of these crazy republican poster's 8th grade graduation certificate. Most are stuck in a middle school mentality.

August 17, 2012 03:58 pm at 3:58 pm |

TheTrueChristian

When we have a job, GOP threatens to take it away by making it easy for corporations to outsource it overseas.

When we become unemployed, GOP threatens our livelihood by seeking to take away our unemployment benefits.

When our kids get into the best private colleges after working their buts off, GOP threatens to make it impossible for them to actually enroll and finish colleges by taking away loans and financial assistance.

When our kids manage to finish and get their degrees with huge debts to repay, the jobs they apply for disappear and go overseas, thanks to people like Romney and his Bain Capital.

When GOP gets their way with medicare and medicaid, our parents will no longer support themselves financially in their older age...

And while we go and file for bankruptcy, our super rich counterparts are becoming super super rich, sipping champaign at one of their many super luxurious vacation homes, laughing and congratulating themselves on their fortunes. Thanks Romney/Ryan.

August 17, 2012 04:01 pm at 4:01 pm |

barbra k

Please post pictures of Paul Ryan that don't have that sneer on his face. I find him very unlikeable, and with that sneer on his face he completely turn me off. I'm sure other people feel the same way.

August 17, 2012 04:02 pm at 4:02 pm |

82 Days until Obama is RE-ELECTED

Ayn Ryan said ""This is a state that has it all, and this is a state that will determine it all and we have a clear choice.".

Yes, Virginians.. you have a VERY clear choice. You can vote for the POTUS and continue to move forward with fixing the economic mess, or you can go back to more of this.... the this being the worst EIGHT years of Repuglican rule in history... things like..

Avoid being a right wing sheeple and going BACK to more of this??? Please examine the definition of insanity, then vote for the only way forward – OBAMA/BIDEN 2012.

August 17, 2012 04:10 pm at 4:10 pm |

Ginger Scott

By Obama's OWN standards - as he stated in the 2008 election - his first 4-year 'results' haven't earned him the right to a second term. I suggest the Dems follow his advice - vote him OUT and do us all a favor.

August 17, 2012 04:17 pm at 4:17 pm |

Marie MD

I see that the new altar boy still can't get those crowds to come hear his lies and half truths and no plans except to screw the seniors and the poor and make sure the middle class stays down and out. It's August. Many people are on vacation.. I am sure teachers are enjoying a well deserved summer break but those folks who along with public servants (police and firefighters) are not allowed to receive raises and, as in Wisconsin, their pensions need to be cut according to their governor walker and a real good friend of the vp nominee.
Did "edddie munster" have anything to say when a policeman was hurt during the Sikh murders?

August 17, 2012 04:37 pm at 4:37 pm |

Tell It Like It Is

@CanadaOne: Love your posts.
@Ginger Scott: I suggest you you do us a favor and do some research. Democrats are not the only ones supporting President Obama.

August 17, 2012 04:55 pm at 4:55 pm |

v_mag

Ryan is being tutored on foreign policy by none other than Elliot Abrams, St. Ronnie Raygun's right-hand man for funneling taxpayer money to the right wing Salvadoran government. In turn, they used that money to fund death squads who killed at least 75,000 poor folks and "disappear" countless others. Rob-money took $9M from these same Salvadorans (U.S.taxpayer money?) to start Bain. All of these criminals are hooked up with each other.

I'm as interested as anybody in Rob-money's tax returns. But I also want to hear him explain why he dealt with murderers when he founded Bain.

August 17, 2012 04:55 pm at 4:55 pm |

California Gary

The GOP's new "golden boy" has already been shown to be nothing more than another "say one thing, do another" kind of politician. I don't know why anyone would listen to anything he has to say.